The hired, beware. In 2006, when the Garland Independent School District rapidly expanded its recruitment of foreign teachers, hiring 60 to 90 a year, those numbers should have raised concerns.

But what if the person monitoring the situation was profiting from the influx of foreign teachers, and the person charged with further oversight just didn’t seem to care? That’s what a Garland ISD investigation now contends happened.

Between 2001 and 2012, GISD handled H-1B visa applications (a temporary permit for foreigners who do jobs not filled by Americans) for 642 teachers. That represents 30 to 40 times the number of applications in similar districts.

District officials believe Victor Leos, who retired as human resources director in January, was running a guest worker scam: Using the promise of a green card, they allege, Leos and recruiting agencies charged applicants $1,000 for interviews, and then got $4,000 per teacher hired, along with orientation and training fees. Leos, they believe, also referred teachers to his stepson and stepdaughter-in-law for housing and legal services.

Thankfully, incoming Superintendent Bob Morrison did what previous administrators did not: He questioned the numbers, ultimately leading to a district investigation that has now been turned over to federal authorities. Morrison apologized to the teachers — more than 200 of whom remain in immigration limbo because granting permanent residence status is the responsibility of federal immigration authorities, not the school district. And the district has applied for visa extensions for the teachers. Morrison is, laudably, also working with U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions to resolve the matter.

But there is long-term damage. Officials believe the fiasco will cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars. Good teachers may have been pushed out to create openings for foreign teachers. And the reputation of the district, the region and the state as a fair workplace has been sullied overseas.

Worst of all the allegations, though, is this one: Vulnerable foreign nationals were squeezed dry, their lives upended, by a public employee while officials looked the other way. The hired, beware.